Daily Archive: Friday, March 3, 2017

President David Granger last evening met the Guyanese diaspora in The Bahamas, where he is currently on a state visit and urged them to invest here particularly in the areas of ‘green’ tourism, education and Information and Communication Technology.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo says that the abolition of Indian Indentureship is recognised as an important event here.

ANTIGUA, (Reuters) – England captain Eoin Morgan blazed a fluent 107 to help secure a 45-run victory over West Indies in the first one-day international at a windy Sir Vivian Richards Stadium today.

Following the surprise closure yesterday of the Liliendaal bridge on the East Coast of Demerara, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure today said that emergency works were required.

Amid weeks of intermittent blackouts that have angered citizens, Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson today acknowledged that transmission and distribution problems persist at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL)  and he promised a solution by the end of the year.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Activist and actress Jane Fonda has spoken for the first time about being raped and sexually abused as a child, saying she was raised with “the disease to please” others.

The Altitude Cocktail Bar and Lounge on Sandy Babb Street, Kitty has been closed until further notice.

(Trinidad Express) Three men were shot and killed at a bar in Debe on Thursday night.

The Mayor and City Council (MYCC) yesterday lost a bid to prevent the High Court from reviewing its controversial parking meter contract with Smart City Solutions (SCS) after Justice Brassington Reynolds ruled that the court does have the jurisdiction to hear the case.

Ex-policeman and former murder accused Lloyd Roberts was yesterday arraigned in a city court for the murder of Ryan Sergeant, the teen who was fatally shot outside of the Rio Inn nightclub last year.

Marcellus Verbeke was yesterday sentenced to four years in jail after admitting to unlawfully killing his employer, Richard Skeete, on June 9, 2011, at ‘C’ Field, Sophia, Georgetown.

Former presidential press officer Kwame McCoy was yesterday found guilty of assaulting rights activist Mark Benschop in March, 2011, and he was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000.

The government yesterday announced that the Public Health Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Trevor Thomas has been sacked following the recommendations of a Board of Inquiry (BoI) into allegations of mismanagement and malpractices in procurement at the ministry.

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan yesterday said there is no link between the application of the Value Added Tax (VAT) to private school fees and the non-compliance of several of these schools with the tax laws.

The now weekly anti-parking meter demonstrations, initially touted as ‘silent protests,’ took on a new life yesterday when protestors began marching to Dave Martins’ recently released song, ‘Postpone,’ which offers social commentary on the controversial metered parking issue.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon yesterday said the government will be seeking to have a large percentage of materials used in the construction of its housing projects sourced locally and tax concessions would be offered as an incentive.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies will attempt to turn the page on their recent ordinary form and make a bright start to their first series of the year, when they take on favourites England in the first One-Day International of a three-match tour here today.

Attorney Anil Nandlall yesterday argued that by virtue of Article 153 (2) of the Constitution, the High Court has the jurisdiction to hear and determine the case brought by the Cheddi Jagan Research Committee Inc (CJRCI), which is challenging the revocation of the lease it holds to Red House.

Governor of the Bank of Guyana Dr. Gobin Ganga has challenged claims by Cambio dealers that the introduction of a limit of $3 on the spread of the buying and selling rates for foreign currency has resulted in a decrease in business.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – New West Indies head coach, Stuart Law, has underscored the value of the three-match one-day series against England staring here today, especially with the regional side already setting their sights on the 2019 World Cup.

City Magistrate Dylon Bess once again barred a transgender woman from entering his courtroom yesterday before dismissing an assault case in which she was the complainant.

LAHORE, Pakistan, CMC – Media reports here say West Indies players Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels have confirmed their participation for the Pakistan Super League final, once their side Peshawar Zalmi qualifies for the championship game.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman yesterday signalled that the long-awaited signing of Memorandum of Understanding Between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago that will formally signal a commitment on the part of the twin-island Republic to provide various forms of support for Guyana in preparation for this

Small prospectors are the intended beneficiaries of syndicates which are being established across the country, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources which on Wednesday rejected charges by the miners association that there is a divide and rule campaign.

BENGALURU,(Reuters) – India coach Anil Kumble urged his team to move on from the debacle in the opening test against Australia as the hosts seek a series-levelling victory in the second match starting on tomorrow.

It is quite obvious from the tone of the statement issued by the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) earlier this week that the relationship between the miners’ body and the political administration is growing worse.

President of the Postal and Telecommunications Workers Union (PTWU), Harold Shepherd says they are giving the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT)  some time to reach out to them before they take any further actions to address the company’s  decision to retrench 120 workers.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Big-hitting all-rounder Rovman Powell is hoping to avoid being pigeon-holed as a limited overs specialist, and make a successful transition to the game’s longest form.

-League Leaders Knockout Tournament commences Sunday Although scheduled to resume the second half of the Stag Beer Elite League season on Sunday with the ‘League Leaders Knockout Tournament’, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has once again failed to pay the clubs their match day stipends.

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) yesterday signaled that it would be seeking updated property rates for several large corporations and businesses operating in the capital, including the New Building Society (NBS), GBTI and Bounty Supermarket.

By Valrie Grant Entrepreneur Managing Director GeoTechVision Chairperson Small Business Council   In a game of sports the team with the best players usually wins. It

The roads of the Ancient County will be transformed into a cycling battleground when the Cheddi Jagan Memorial road race pedals off on Sunday.

Given my experience in the fashion industry in Toronto as well as my current position managing a garment factory here in Guyana, I really wanted my introductory article to be focused on the fashion and garment industry in Guyana today The business of fashion is a globally recognized behemoth of an industry that was last valued at US$3 trillion.

The signing of a contract to the tune of € 552,855, around $122m,  will see the drilling of three new wells at Diamond, Sophia and Sparendaam, Region 4.

An article published in Tuesday’s issue of the Trinidad Guardian has described the recent discovery of oil and gas offshore Guyana as “one of the most significant events in the history of Guyana and in the history of Caricom” that will change the trajectory of the Guyanese economy from 2020 and onwards.

Dear Editor, A little over two weeks after my appointment as Minister of Public Health I alerted President David Arthur Granger and several of my colleague ministers, about the outbreak of yellow fever in neighbouring Brazil and the need for contingency measures to be strengthened in Guyana to prevent or curtail its spread here.

The Lions Club of Bel Air in collaboration with Beepat & Son Supligen brand will host a two-day fund raising dominoes tournament on the 25th and 26th March, on the lawns at the Lions club house at Enachu Street in Section N , Campbellville.

LONDON (Reuters) – The European Union’s market watchdog is investigating ways to stop national regulators competing unfairly with each other as they try to attract firms from Britain after Brexit in a beauty parade of financial centres.

(Reuters) Embattled British Cycling says its gold-at-all-costs approach will be softened after accusations of a bullying and sexist culture within a system that has become a medal factory.

Dear Editor, I’ll admit, from the perspective of a Guyanese citizen that the parking meter contract and its enforcement can be quite disheartening. 

Four indigenous communities in Region Eight recently received equipment and sports gear they requested from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, GINA said.

The widely publicized STEMGuyana Project, launched here last year by a team comprising Atlanta-based Guyanese Karen Abrams and her three children, is engaging the private sector to seek its support for the project’s latest initiative, a National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) application designed to give support to children preparing for the National Grade Six Assessment.

Dear Editor, Saraswati Vidya Niketan wishes to congratulate Dr Kumar Mahabir of Trinidad for his pioneering efforts to expose the ethnic and ideological biases in CSEC and CAPE syllabuses in Literature and History. 

PARIS,(Reuters) – The French former Olympic cyclist Marc Madiot, known as “Mr 1,000 Volts” on Thursday fired a jolt into Team Sky, telling Reuters the British outfit had done little to dispel suspicions of doping.

Machinery Corporation of Guyana (MACORP) through its lawyers, Luckhoo & Luckhoo says that Karim Price of Port Kaituma who appeared in court on February 28, 2017 on  gun and ammunition charges is not a member of its management team.

As the probe into the smuggling of an AK-47 rifle out of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Compound, Eve Leary continues, police have arrested a civilian.

Pirates attacked and robbed the captain and crewmembers of six fishing vessels of a quantity of articles as they were plying their trade in the Pomeroon River, Essequibo last weekend.

Guyanese and Surinamese members of the Board of the Canawaima Management Company Inc, the body set up to enable the effective joint management of the Guyana/Suriname ferry service were scheduled to meet in Nickerie yesterday, Stabroek Business has learnt.

Dear Editor, Messrs Eric Phillips in a letter dated February 28, and on the newspaper’s Blog, and Tacuma Ogunseye in a letter dated March 1, 2017, both employed in the State Asset Recovery Unit, threw caution, logic, facts and decency to the wind in defence of their boss, Professor Clive Thomas.

MOSCOW,(Reuters) – Fans at next year’s World Cup and this year’s Confederations Cup in Russia will need special identity cards before they can watch matches, soccer’s governing body said Thursday.

Guyana Police Force (GPF) tactician Dwain Babb, said although a gruelling final in the Limacol Football Championship against Western Tigers is anticipated, he is confident the team can prevail tomorrow at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.

Courtney Benn Contracting Services has secured a $186m contract for the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB).

(Jamaica Observer) – Caribbean Broilers Group says it has pumped US$4 million in a state-of-the-art facility aimed at producing healthier, convenient foods and to reduce Jamaica’s import bill on poultry products.

Dear Editor, My children are all adults, the youngest has just gotten her master’s degree.

(Jamaica Gleaner) – Caribbean Cement Company Limited made annual profit of $1.3 billion last year, but it represented a shrinkage of the cement producer’s bottom line, despite a spike in volume sales of cement in its major market.

(Reuters) – Andy Murray saved seven match-points in a 31-minute tiebreak that stretched to 38 points before he finally subdued Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7(4) 7-6(18) 6-1 to reach the Dubai Championships semi-finals on Thursday.

Dear Editor, On March 1st, 2017, President Granger announced that the Value Added Tax (V.A.T)

When you ask Renwick Solomon what his views are on the emergence of mining syndicates as a departure from the traditional types of operations that characterizes Guyana’s gold-mining industry he recommends that you talk with the hundreds of other small miners who behave as though they have been given a new lease on their economic lives following the advent of what he loosely calls “mining cooperatives.”

Dear Editor, I noticed that Dr Surujbally, in his parting shot, has joined a few minds who feel that the constitution seems to prefer a judge to be selected as the chairman of Gecom.

BENGALURU, (Reuters) – Fast bowler Mitchell Starc remains Australia’s most potent weapon with the ball despite their spinners stealing the show in the series opener against India, team mate Mitchell Marsh said on Thursday.

BARCELONA, (Reuters) – Williams pulled out of the final day of Formula One’s first preseason test for safety reasons after Canadian teenager Lance Stroll crashed the car into a tyre wall on Wednesday.

Stock market updates

Dear Editor, I refer to the Kaieteur News article, dated March 2, ‘Dharmic Sabha’s Grand Phagwah Mela and Bazaar set for March 4,’ where it was erroneously stated that “Holika Dahan or the Burning of Holika will be observed by mandirs countrywide on Sunday March 12th on Purnima or full moon night ….

(Prepared by the Guyana Marketing Corporation and published by Stabroek Business as a public service)                              *Prices only represent the average Wholesale Farmgate and Retail Prices at the above mentioned markets and are NOT prices set by the Guyana Marketing Corporation or Ministry of Agriculture.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said yesterday he would stay out of any probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election but maintained he did nothing wrong by failing to disclose he met last year with Russia’s ambassador.

BARCELONA, (Reuters) – Formula One world champions Mercedes called an early end to their first preseason test on Thursday with Lewis Hamilton failing to get on track in the morning after an apparent electrical problem.

Dear Editor, I recently received my invoice from Guyana Power and Light Inc for a period beginning in the middle of January and ending in the middle of February.

    Work starts on Liliendaal Bridge: The Liliendaal Bridge on the Railway Embank-ment on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) is closed to the public for construction work.

(The Sports Xchange) Nets 109, Kings 100 Brook Lopez scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets ended their 16-game losing streak Wednesday with a 109-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Dear Editor, Coming quickly on the heels of breaking news that China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun, wants to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the area of developing “a strong engineering corps at the GDF, so they can make a bigger contribution to infrastructure development in this country”, I would like to offer a perspective.

CAIRO,  (Reuters) – Egypt’s top appeals court found former president Hosni Mubarak innocent yesterday of involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his 30-year rule, the final ruling in a landmark case.

Miners Must Minimise Environmental Damage – King The Geology and Mines Commission and the environment agency are moving to arrest wanton environmental destruction in gold and diamond mining areas.

Last month the issue of vigilantism and justice was once again brought sharply into focus when police charged no less a personage than a regional councillor and two other persons for allegedly murdering a young fisherman, who attempted to snatch a shoulder bag from a young lady.

Even if out of my depth, I’m trying to wax provocative today on two social issues, local and worldwide.

Gold Prices for the three-day period ending Thursday March 2, 2017 Kitco is a Canadian company that buys and sells precious metals such as gold, copper and silver.